


Three

by Cassandra14



Series: Linzin Kids Au [6]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2014-01-17
Packaged: 2018-01-09 01:50:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1140020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassandra14/pseuds/Cassandra14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are three now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three

What - was he skipping - wh -

"Tez - mumf!"

He’d caught her face in his hands and locked his lips on hers. Lin flailed a little, utterly bewildered, as he kissed her deeply before breaking away with a mutual gasp.

"Tenzin - what on - I’m at work - "

"She’s an Airbender," he whispered, laughed, and shouted, "She’s an Airbender!"

His feet never stopped moving, practically doing a jig in place. Every officer within sight had frozen to watch the scene, every officer within hearing distance had poked their heads out of doorways or around corners.

Tenzin’s joy was to infectious for Lin to be upset by the attention. Smiling, she chuckled at his antics.

"Well, good," she declared. "That’s one down."

Tenzin nodded. He babbled, “Mother had some dried flower petals and I blew them at Sora - with just a little bit of Airbending - and Sora blew them back! Right into my face and on over my head! So we tried it again and she did it again and Father must have heard me or something because he came in and Sora did it for him to and he started laughing too and we were both crying and Mother must’ve thought we’d gone mad - “

Catching his arms, Lin suggested, “Let’s go into my office.” Luckily, it was only a few feet away. She ushered Tenzin inside, gave the gawking officers a glare to go back about their business, and firmly shut the door.

She made no attempt to stem the flow of Tenzin’s recitation as he recounted the momentous event at least twice before a perfunctory knock heralded her mother’s entrance. Lin had been expecting it; gossip spread faster than wildfire through the station.

"You just lost me fifty yuans," exclaimed Toph. "I thought for sure my blood would win out."

"Mother!"

Tenzin was far, far too happy to take any offence at her teasing. Instead, he hugged her with great enthusiasm. Toph’s eyes went wide and she looked alarmed.

"Lin, will you get your husband off me?"

"Tenzin…" Lin tugged at him, gently drawing him to her. "I think you’ve managed to scare my Mom. Congratulations."

He merely beamed at her and repeated the story to Toph, tripping over his words and jumbling up the sequence in his haste. Toph got the gist of it.

"Lin, take the rest of the day off," she commanded as soon as she understood.

"I can’t, what will my officers think, I’ve got a meeting about the Hans case in twenty minutes," protested Lin.

"Consider it an order. If he’s this bad, then Twinkletoes is halfway to the moon. Katara’s going to need your help to wrangle the both of them. I’ll take care of the squad and the Hans case can go without your oversight for another day."

"Let’s go, Lin," begged Tenzin. He, apparently, took Toph’s order as permission to seize Lin’s coat from it’s hook and hold it up for her. Lin barely had her arms in the correct holes, and was forced to do up the clasps with metalbending as she went, before Tenzin was pulling her out the door. Lin had to sprint to keep up with him as he headed for the roof and Oogi.

One short flight later, Lin pressed against Tenzin on Oogi’s neck as he hadn’t bothered with reins let alone a saddle, they slid off Oogi in the courtyard. They found Aang and Sora in the dining room, a pile of dried petals and confetti - Lin had no idea where Aang had found confetti - between them.

"Lin!"

The Avatar leapt up, springing to squeeze her momentarily before taking her hand and sitting her down beside Sora.

"Watch this!" To Sora, he cajoled, "Come on, darling, show your mom what you can do." Aang puffed up his cheeks and blew at the pile; a portion scattered to Sora’s giggling delight. Aang quickly scrapped the pile together. Sora filled her cheeks, held it for an instant, leaned forward, and blew.

Half the pile danced in the air, fluttering and spiraling, while the rest spread out over the table, and Aang’s laughter joined Sora’s giggles.

Lin grinned and praised Sora, “Well done! There’s my girl! Very well done!”

"Let’s do it again," suggested Tenzin, joining his his father in rebuilding the pile with the assistance of a brush and dustpan.

After the fifth time, Lin making sure to praise Sora each time, Lin realized Katara was standing in the kitchen doorway. She excused herself from the three - three! - Airbenders, who scarcely noticed, and went to her.

Katara enfolded Lin in her arms. When they parted, Lin saw tears glittering on her cheeks. As they watched their husbands and the newest Airbender, Katara murmured, “He’s so happy Lin. Beyond happy - you don’t know - all those years, being alone in a way no one could cure - when Tenzin, when we knew he was an Airbender, he couldn’t stop crying. And now - you’ve given him a grandchild who’s an Airbender - he knows it won’t bring his people back, nothing can, but Tenzin and now yours and Tenzin’s child - an Airbender - he’s so happy.”

Lin wrapped her arm around Katara. The older woman leaned on Lin, dabbing at her eyes with a sleeve.

"I’m happy too," Lin replied. She blinked back tears from her own eyes. They continued to watch their husbands, an Avatar and a Republic City Councilman and co-heads of the dignified, solemn Air Temples, huff and puff and scramble around after bits of paper with expressions Lin could only define as pure joy.

~~~

Sora bored of the game before either her father or grandfather did. Her patience wore thin at last, and she wailed for a change and her dinner. While Tenzin changed her, and Lin had never thought to see a debate between two people where the winner was the one who got to see to a soiled diaper, Aang and Lin helped Katara get dinner started. After two narrow misses with knives, Katara declared Aang unfit for the kitchen and sent him out to clean up the dining room.

To nobody’s surprise, Sokka and Toph arrived in time for dinner. Sokka carried a bottle of finest sake, one he’d been saving for a ‘special occasion.’

~~~

In the family room afterwards, with Sora in pride of place on her father’s lap as he retold the day’s events to Sokka, Aang found a moment to hug Lin. He held her so tightly she could barely breathe.

"Thank you," he whispered into her ear. "Thank you." His voice trembled.

Lin hugged him back equally hard. After a good four minutes, he released her and Lin stood on tiptoe to place a kiss on his forehead, right in the middle of his arrow.

"You’re welcome, Aang," she murmured.

He smiled, a smile soft and yet overflowing with hope and love and happiness.

Lin fixed that smile in her memory and never forgot it.


End file.
